I’m not entirely sure what will happen on November 8. I do know that people are tired. I’m tired. And regardless of who ends up with the most votes, when we wake up on November 9 there will be people who are angry. There will be people who are heartbroken. There will be people who are scared. There will be people who are relieved or excited and there will be people saying “I told you so.” There will be people wondering “what now?”

This isn’t about changing anyone’s mind or vote between now and then. What it’s about is the fact that after Election Day, no matter what boxes we checked or what bubbles we filled, we’ll all still be here as part of the same cities, the same schools, the same worshiping communities. Borrowing a page from writer Anne Lamott‘s repertoire, I’m tempted to stick to one of the most basic prayers there is:

“Help.”

But for those of you who, like me, tend to be a little wordier at times, here are some thoughts I’m offering to God in this messy season. Part question and part confession, with some hope (I hope) thrown in for good measure.